Posts by Wendy Welch

Saved by an Angel

I spent a year looking for a puppy or dog to be my BFF. After my mom passed away May 2, 2018, my family helped me get my own place. It was so difficult to find the perfect breed. I visited several shelters and adoptions events for months, applied at HSHV, looked at Love Train emails & visited HSHV with my sister. I WALKED RIGHT PAST HER!! I continued to look several times a day, and the dog’s picture that kept coming up was “Tina,” a 3 yr old, Pug/Beagle with severe separation anxiety. My friend said THAT IS THE
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What’s up, Doc?

My boyfriend and I had been looking for a cat for a while, and we had gotten into the habit of looking on the adoptable pets section of the HSHV website, picking a few to look at, then going in to meet them. We picked out a few cats to meet, then went to meet them. We are looking for the first cat on our list when we walked by Doctor Smolder Bravestone. He began to rub his head against the edge of the cage as soon as he saw us, and we knew we had to pet him. As
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Purrfect match

In January 2018, we lost our amazing catloaf of love, Wasabi. In July of 2018, I saw a sweet calico girl named Rocky while volunteering. But the husband wasn’t convinced right away that we needed another cat. Every week I checked to see if she were adopted, and she was still there!? Finally the husband said okay to another cat. I called to see why no one was adopting this sweet lady. She had a medical issue and had to have special food. The same issue our other cat has! Perfect match! See Pixie and Sashimi here.   Rocky now
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I wasn’t looking for a kitten.

A year ago on July 1st, I came in looking for an adult cat. A friend had just committed suicide and I was looking for some brightness in the dark. As I looked at the adult cats, none of them seemed right, most wanted to be an only pet. We already had a cat and a senior Yorkie. I walked into the kitten room just to look. One of the Junior Volunteers was holding a tiny ginger kitten. I asked to hold her. She immediately started purring; it was love at first sight. It took me a while to realize
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HSHV celebrates Dependence Day

(July 2, 2019) – “Animals depend on us,” says Tanya Hilgendorf, CEO/President of the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV). “This July 4, we’re celebrating all the people who’ve made wonderful things happen for the animals in our community.” Donors, adopters, volunteers and staff are among the many folks celebrated in HSHV’s 2018 annual report, and whom HSHV credits with making animals’ lives better. “Last year presented some of our greatest challenges yet,” says Hilgendorf. “Hundreds of additional animals came through our doors than in the year previous, and a lot more cruelty reports came in. We investigated and rescued
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Penny Lane filled my sad heart up

We were about a year out from when we lost my cat Nelson, and I was devastated by the loss. My other cat, Bogart, was noticeably sad and lonely as well. Our household felt empty, and though Bogart liked the extra cuddles, he missed playing with his big brother, Nelson. I decided that I would go to the humane society to look at cats, but my heart was so heavy, I was sure I wouldn’t find anyone to bring home. I wasn’t even in the cat rooms yet, when I walked past a little cage and a paw flew out
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Food for Thought

Did you know that HSHV is a vegetarian organization? We don’t ever use donor money or sponsor events that entail meat (for human consumption, that is; feeding animals is a bit trickier) and are careful to avoid or to consider the sourcing of other animal-based food and products. We do this because not eating animals is another way we can help save lives. We do it also because of the rampant and pervasive cruelty in the industrialized farming industry, known as factory farming. It isn’t our job to tell folks what to eat, but it is our responsibility to increase
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Red, White and Boo

Consider July 4th the Halloween for pets. Some don’t mind it; others want to run for the hills. Though your companion animals may never see the 4th of July celebration as a treat, here are some tricks to make the upcoming days more comfortable. First, though you may want to celebrate with your entire family, chances are, your dog will be happier and safer at home. If your dog is comforted by the presence of people and loves the safety of a lap, see if someone can stay with your dog. Keep your windows and doors closed — both to block noise and
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HSHV investigating abuse of kitten by a juvenile

(June 25, 2019) – The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) is investigating the alleged abuse of a four-week-old kitten by a pre-teen in Ypsilanti. Witnesses reported seeing the child kick the kitten twice, then toss him in the air several times—allowing the kitten to fall onto cement—then douse him in water. The kitten was bleeding from the mouth when seized by an Eastern Michigan University police officer. The kitten, now named Beasley, has been treated for his injuries at HSHV and is recuperating in foster care. “Beasley was terrified when he first came in,” says Melinda Szabelski, Cruelty and Rescue
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A “tail” of three cats – Story #3 – Toby

In March of 2018, I started looking for a companion kitty for Loki, my HSHV Alum. His 17-year old kitty brother had passed away, and I could tell that Loki was lonely. Being a volunteer at HSHV, I saw something on the website about a very friendly 3-year male cat by the name of Toby. Very friendly, outgoing kitties don’t last long at HSHV, so I rushed over on a Sunday morning to be there when the shelter opened. I visited briefly with Toby and sure enough, he was all loves, purrs, kitty chatter and head bumps into me. I
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